"US Also Has Laws Named After First Ladies"… Ruling Party's Heated Debate Over 'Kim Geon-hee Act' Name

Park Dae-chul "Kim Geon-hee, More Devoted Than Anyone"
Yoo Seung-min "Genius Flattery" Hong Moon-pyo "Policy Must Be Pure"

Within the ruling party, differing opinions have emerged over the name of the so-called 'Kim Geon-hee Act,' which aims to ban dog meat consumption. The Kim Geon-hee Act is named after Kim Geon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Some ruling party lawmakers use the term 'Kim Geon-hee Act' because Kim Geon-hee has long emphasized animal rights protection and has actively advocated for the necessity of banning dog meat consumption. However, some within the ruling party criticized this, saying, "We have never seen a law named after the president's wife."

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min posted on Facebook, "Those who once worshipped the president as a divine being and engaged in genius-level flattery are now doing the same for the president's wife," adding, "It is pathetic to see people from constitutional institutions behaving like this, making it feel like 'liberal democracy' is regressing into 'communist totalitarianism.'"

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, is showing a commemorative painting drawn on the back of her hand while attending a press conference urging the end of dog meat consumption held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on August 30, 2023. Photo by Yonhap News.

Hong Moon-pyo, a four-term senior member of the People Power Party, also expressed opposition to the term 'Kim Geon-hee Act' in a BBS radio interview, saying, "Attaching a name to the bill is unrealistic," and "Policies should be pure."

On the other hand, there is a view that the term 'Kim Geon-hee Act' naturally came into use as civic groups and the media first used it. Park Dae-chul, chairman of the People Power Party's Policy Committee, stated, "Kim Geon-hee has been more devoted than anyone else in activities related to banning dog meat consumption and issues concerning abandoned dogs," adding, "Animal welfare groups started using the nickname 'Kim Geon-hee Act' for the dog meat ban law. Many media outlets are also using the term 'Kim Geon-hee Act.'"

Park also introduced, "In the United States, there is the 'Lady Bird Act,' a road beautification law named after Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of the 36th President Johnson," emphasizing, "There are indeed laws named after the president's wife like this."

Lawmaker Lee Yong of the People Power Party said, "It is very common in the National Assembly to name laws after people. Such laws are very effective in promoting and passing the legislation," and targeted former lawmaker Yoo by saying, "You seem to view everything with suspicion in your zeal to criticize the administration, but please do not turn even efforts to pass laws into political strife."

Meanwhile, as both ruling and opposition parties have reached a rare consensus on legislating a ban on dog meat consumption, momentum is building for its promotion. Kim Sung-joo, senior deputy chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, said at a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 14th, "We will enact a special law to end dog meat consumption and support the conversion of dog farms and restaurants to other industries," adding, "We will definitely resolve the dog meat issue in the 21st National Assembly."

Currently, multiple bills related to banning dog meat consumption have been submitted by both ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly. These include a special law to end dog meat consumption, amendments to the Animal Protection Act, and amendments to the Livestock Act. However, there is also considerable opposition to the legislation. The Dog Meat Association strongly opposes the legalization of a dog meat ban. Although public opinion against dog meat consumption has increased compared to the past, some argue that banning it by law is a different matter.